I am a gamer. This blog is about games. 99% focus is on roleplaying games but sometimes I post thoughts near the gaming.
Vampires, space pirates, lamenting princesses and mutants in the future all welcome!

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Wednesday, July 18, 2012

I never actually played retro games (70's and early 80's) and got interested in OSR and retro clones thanks to RPG Bloggers feed. Then I started to find out what I have missed back then when I didn't like older Dungeons & Dragons and I realized that I had missed the whole point.

Now my choices for retro are:
- Lamentations Of The Flame Princess for weird and horror fantasy
- Mutant Future for science fantasy and post-apocalypse
- Labyrinth Lord as all around retro-clone for fantasy adventuring

For some reason I didn't like any d20 systems but when I played D&D 3.x I did like the basic simplicity of it. Roll d20 adding bonuses trying to get as high result as the difficulty is that time. I didn't like all the rules because I thought many of them were really unecessary for fun gaming and just did slow play down.

Then how LotFP was advertised and how it looked caught me and I got it. It was a big positive surprise to find out it basically used D&D 3.x system stripped down from all the things what made playing slow. Then I started to dig deeper and liked the idea of Gamma World and found that Mutant Future is now available update of it. I had a change to read almost all the rules of Gamma World first and second edition and found out that Mutant Future is really close to these originals. At first I thought that THAC0 style combat resolution was awkward but realized that it is actually like any other roleplaying system. You just need a table or two to play it. Other rules are really simple. That's why I also downloaded Labyrinth Lord to use in fantasy instead of using D&D 3.x which I only used like 1/5 of the rules.

Also LotFP, MF and LL are really easy for players to adapt. My player isn't really technical so these three games I mentioned are great. You roll your character, fill in the remaining information, buy equipment and are ready to play! No point buys. No character tweaking or optimization, no special rules to know. And it is easy for GM to track player character's capabilities also.

One awesome feature is also how easy rules are to adapt. Character is doing something there are no rules or abilities marked in character sheet? Just roll d20 under ability and apply modifier from -4 to +4 based on the situation. That's easy! You don't need rules to cover everything when you can roll under ability. Or GM can just roll d6 and rule what change something is to happen based on character and situation.

I love how simple retro gaming actually is. For some reason I always thought it is really complicated and roleplaying was more rules than playing and acting it out. Like Raggi has said, it is not important what characters can do but what they do. In OSR it is you the player who decides what his character does instead of checking out your character sheet can your character do it.

Also my player likes retro systems in gameplay. And it's easy for me to say what die she must roll and what number she needs to score. In LotFP I ask her to roll d6 and tell the result if her character finds a trap or in Mutant Future I tell her to roll d20 and add 2 to the result and try to get less than her DEX to climb that roof.

With retro games there is more time for actual story when rules don't take time to figure out for every single die roll.

At first I didn't like the idea of lack of skills for example. But who needs 30 to 100 different skills? You have speech but you cannot barter because you don't have that skill. That's bullshit. In OSR characters always have a change.

Now I feel that I could run every game with ascending or descending AC. It's too much work to convert games though, but the idea is so much better in retro gaming. For example Vampire: the Masquerade claims to be a storytelling game but the rules are clumsy. Vampire: the Requiem (and new World of Darkness) made rules a little more straightforward but still it is a little clumsy to be called storytelling.

What do you think? Can OSR/retro games be more storytelling after all with rules?

Before I dug into some OSR games I never actually thought about marching order. I thought it is just silly and more like a feature you need in computer games (for example Baldur's Gate). But now I have read both Mutant Future and Labyrinth Lord and thanks for them marching order is now really important. Not only in oldschool adventuring but also in modern games.

Sometimes in any game player characters are venturing in city streets or strange planets and an encounter happens. Then I start to figure out who is standing where and players usually tactically tell then their location. But if the marching order was used that hassle would be not happening as player characters are already in position and I just would have to locate the enemies.

Picture from ausgamers.com

Marching order is not some technical game rule to follow. It simply tells in what order and formation player characters are venturing. Who is in the front row and who is in the back and are there some characters scattered around walking nearby and are some characters protected in the middle. When this all is decided before any encounters it gets more interesting. I have found out that without marching order most powerfully defensive characters are always in the direction where enemies attack. This time in the front and next time in the back. Players get this small cheating tactical phase of announcing their characters' locations but it is not realistic. Or very exciting.

So, thanks to Mutant Future and Labyrinth Lord I will from this post use marching order in every game I GM.

Friday, July 13, 2012

Finally downloaded Mutant Future to read. Did read it immediately and now after few days I am playing it. And now I will create a character for it. Let's check out the character creation!

Mutant Future Character Creation Step By Step

First we roll stats. Anyone familiar with D&D and clones knows that there are 6 stats which are: Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Willpower and Charisma. There are three methods presented for Abilities:
- Roll 3d6 in a row
- Roll 3d6 and put where you like
- Roll 4d6, drop lowest

Next, choose the race. Options are: Android (three types), Mutant Animal, Mutant Human, Mutant Plant and Pure Human. Each race has different benefices. I choose Mutant Plant because... well... in what game you get to play a mutant plant? This and I take it!

Crazy mutant plant 15 times larger than normal dandelion (yep, mutant dandelion) what has two different poisonous attack (though at first level 1 per turn), immune to electric damage but vulnerable to other kinds of damage. It can fly and cast mental illusions.
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What are your Mutant Future character creation experiences like? Is your current character totally gonzo or post-apocalyptic survivor?

Now I start writing. I just let my fingers do the job and won't spend too much time to think.

The long and thin body (pen) of the monster is transparent like a glass (window) showing its entrails. It is half alive half synthetic powered by lightning storms (energy drink) what it stores to power itself. It's movement is fast leaping (ruler). It shoots fire (lighter) from its mouth.

I have played roleplaying games for 19 or so years now. But I can't remember I have ever ran a lost world adventure. By lost world I mean for example a forgotten valley or some other place with dinosaurs and primitive tribes and forgotten temples.

Why? I don't know. When I was a kid I liked dinosaurs. I read all these books about dinosaurs in library and had my share of Dinoriders but still didn't include those in my games. Why didn't I do it because it would have been an obvious adventure to play? I don't know.

But I bet if I played AD&D back then (I didn't like it stupid me) it would have been different. Why? If I had played and liked AD&D in Monster Manual there are dozens of dinosaurs waiting to be used in an awesome way. So if I were an AD&D gamer there would have been all these dinosaurs right in the rules book waiting to be used.

I bet that if I would have played AD&D back then I would have been playing lost world type of campaigns with dinosaurs. Now I am 30 years old so should I finally make it happen? Not a big AD&D fan today either but luckily there are all these retro-clones to be used with AD&D MM.

Oh and check out that Dinoriders picture up there. That + roleplaying games would be mind-blowing!
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Have you played lost world type games with dinosaurs? Did you do it when you were a kid or later as a nostalgic awesomeness? Or does the little kid inside you still like dinosaurs?
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Lurker in the dark is a creature what plagues one village. In night time it sneaks into houses and feeds on dreamer's dreams. The next day the victim feels tired and unmotivated. Lurker visits same victim each night and each visit lowers victim's Wisdom by 1. When victim's Wisdom is lowered to 0 he becomes a lurker himself.

Lurkers are invisible beings and only can be detected by magical or other appropriate supernatural methods. Lurkers are immune to all physical attacks and magical attacks and can only be manipulated to leave the town (charm or other similar).

Even though lurkers don't have physical form for xp they are HD7 monsters. They save as lvl 7 wizards. Lurkers doesn't have physical attacks and if they are found they try to flee and hide.

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Towers are easy to build in the go. One floor is one room. You can also easily randomly generate these floors! Here is one example for tower random generator:

Steps:

Record each step down on your tower notes.
1. Roll for floors and basements.
2. For each individual floor roll tables 2 and 3 to determine each floors access to another above (or below in basement levels). Also roll for uppermost floor as there might be access to the roof.
3. Roll for each floor's access if it is locked and in addition if it is trapped.
4. Fill the floors and dungeons levels with details rolling table 4.
5. Roll the size and shape of the tower from table 5 and draw it on graph paper.
6. Finally fill in details. What the tower looks like? In what condition it is? Why is it abandoned?
7. Ready to go!

1. Floors And Basement

Roll 3d6 for tower floors. 25% possibility there are also underground floors (3d6).

*Collapsed or in poor condition = The access to second floor might need climbing or it might crumble and possibly harm climbers

3. Is Access To Next Floor Locked?

Roll 1d6
1 - Not locked and open
2 - Closed but not locked
3 - Locked with a simple lock
4 - Locked with a complicated lock
5 - Barred from the other side (must be forced open, or use blade to open it from the other side etc.)
6 - Magically sealed (50%) or using a mechanism needed to open (50%)

There is also 25% change that the access is trapped. Decide a trap or roll randomly if the game you use provides random trap tables.

Now it is a time to say good bye to Ydin. Ydin was supposed to be my own rpg system I would create material for. I like to write stuff a lot! And I thought I'd need one solid system to write stuff for. I decided I need to write this system to use as a basic for my stuff I write. Thus I started writing Ydin. I was planning to create also guidelines to convert Ydin material to other roleplaying games systems...

But then I realized it is not worth my time.

Here are reasons why I won't continue with Ydin:

- My time is limited and making rules that cover basically everything and work is lots of work to do.
- Instead of spending time to write yet another set of rules I could spend my time to write different kinds of material.
- I found d20/OSR and I like it. I think that d20/OSR is most universal and easy to adapt system out there. Particularly the most basic systems are really easy to use and quite simple to convert to other systems.
- I liked the idea of Ydin but today I like more simple systems. I don't say that Ydin was too hard but it was yet another rpg system to learn (and of course write!). It wasn't simple enough and I thought making it more simple but what's the point? Just take LotFP, Dungeonslayers or other rpg and use it. Additional rules if necessary are easy to come up with.
- If I finished Ydin core rules to be used with my Ydin stuff (for example monster stats, adventures, campaign settings and what-not) who would actually download it and use it?
- In general there are three types roleplaying people. Those who like OSR/d20 and those who like other games and those who use universal systems. D20/OSR people prefer different retros and clones and those who like other games I think buy games for the setting or something. Those who use universal rules stick to the one they like (either commercial or homebrew) and adapt it to other games. GURPS, Savage Worlds... there are tons of them so where would Ydin stand?
- If I have a good idea I want to publish it would be easier to publish it on system easily available and free to use (OGL or CC for example). People know that already. There are haters for OGL/retro/d20 stuff but I bet it would still be better option to use some of those instead of using one unknown system.

I think today in roleplaying games the material is more important than a system. Of course there are dozens if not hundreds of different OSR systems (LotFP, Labyrinth Lord, OSRIC only few to mention) people can choose what they like the most and easily convert stuff to use with it. I also bet that people who play universal systems or homebrew systems are already used to convert material to their games.
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I also started writing Fallout 3 inspired RPG based on retro-clones and heavily influenced by Dungeonslayers but what the heck! Then I found Gamma World and Mutant Future (print from Lulu, free PDF from http://www.goblinoidgames.com/mutantfuture.html) and thought what the heck! Instead of writing OSR/retro rules to fit in post-apocalyptic modern world science fiction I could just use rules already existing for post-apocalyptic modern world science fiction and spend my time to write material (new equipment if needed, adventures, npcs etc.)__________________________________

My dream was to publish my own rpg. Only to print few copies and hopefully to sell a couple. But my main point was to hold in my hands in print something I created myself. But now it feels just a waste of time... Now my dream is to write material that I could publish (PDF) and maybe print few (printer in the name of oldschool for the win!).

So maybe some day instead of writing my own system I will write something people can actually use in their games. A setting or compilation of stuffz to use or something similar.
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My advice is from personal experience: Don't waste your time creating something that has been done 1000 times over 30 years but spend your time creating something new. Writing new rules is waste of time as people probably won't use them or will house-rule the shit out of them anyways to suit their taste.

When we were teenagers there were acts of love in games more often than when we were kids. But we didn't detail these scenes too much because it was a little awkward. We used simple methods for the outcome of kissing and other similar actions.

Basically it was a roll what needed both charisma (or similar) and luck from a roll. Sometimes if there was an appropriate skill it was also used. It was actually really simple. For example roll under charisma and the lower the result is the better the love result was. Or sometimes roll die and add charisma bonus (or appropriate skill bonus or something else) and the higher the number is the better the outcome.

Picture from Deviant Art user:KagomexxxSesshomaru

It was simple. Two characters or character and npc withdraw to their privacy, some dice were rolled and the result of "love" was described by GM from outrageous catastrophe to really pleasing experience.

In fantasy games without birth control (or if character didn't use any or birth control wasn't available at that time) there was a 10% change that female got pregnant. I remember that there was at least two adventuring males with wives and a kid waiting for them to return from their next adventure, thanks to d% roll result!

It was realistic touch. Ok, not sure if 10% roll when humping without pig intestines is realistic, but the outcome I mean. You get some action and there's a possibility that you reproduce. But the nice touch was that generally player characters took care of their offspring and usually they married the woman they impregnated. The result was that the loot from adventures was not all spent on new equipment and bars but share of it went to their family.

Family And Kids

It was kind of a fun. My character never had kids but I remember in Warhammer Fantasy RPG one character having a nice secure lake house, a wife and a child and my character even if not related was honored as an uncle! It was fun to return from the adventure to this fellow characters own house and be welcomed by his little family. Totally different feeling of downtime resting at someone's personal house with his family than spending downtime at a tavern drinking cheap beer (wine for elves).

Also one time two male player's characters were a couple. They didn't describe how they got it goin' with characters but instead when rest of us slept in 6 person tents and they went to their private tent together no one in our group had to say anything. We knew that maybe that couple made love - or didn't at that time. It's was the same thing with real life couples. We assume they are intimate together and we don't have to guess will they have sex today after they get home from our party.

Relationships

Picture from thetorchonline.

But is intimate relationship important for characters in roleplaying games? Maybe. It is part of ongoing character background story. It can give GM adventure seeds (usually lame: your wife's been kidnapped by orcs/evil wizard/monster/mysteriously lost). It can also give other options for downtime and adds some depth in playing character's role.

Most of the adventurers are single. But when they are not, they are a little different and usually they have other things to think about than clearing a dungeons and how to spend money between.

In the beginning of the game relationships can be also adventure hooks. I remember using this twice:
In Vampire: The Dark Age character was a mortal with a husband. Point was that the husband was going to die what made character who he is and reasoned her embrace into vampirism.
In All Flesh Must Be Eaten player character has a husband who turns into a zombie. That makes zombie outbreak more personal when you loose someone really close. Well, the husband obviously isn't close to player as it is to character when you have played a couple of sessions with that husband and it needs a lot of drama playing and immersion from player, but it worked fine (note: we quit playing that right before the turning of husband into a zombie, because my player didn't like it as it was too sad. I think it worked!)

Homosexuality

This picture could literally be from ourBlue Rose campaign.Source: unknown

When playing with your fiancee it is easier to roleplay love between two characters. There are no other people who could get awkward so it is just up to you two how deep you want the characters relationship to be in description. Good example is Blue Rose with PC and NPC with homosexual relationship. It was awkward for us to play (in detail) and I bet it would be have really awkward with a group because of that detail. So with a group we wouldn't have had a change to study and go deep into that homosexual relationship between the heroes. Even though it was awkward it was a good experience as a roleplayer.

In Finnish rpg based on comic called Praedor there is a whole tribe of homosexuals. If I recall correctly the point is that warriors are softened by love so they fulfill their sexual desires with other warrior males. But in the comic two of these fierce warriors were not just "butt-buddies" but lovers.

In my early games there were few homosexual characters (realistic ones, not fag parodies) and they rarely had relationships. They just liked same sex but were like ordinary characters like others. As there was no sexual action added they were just like your average adventurer character but their written background had just this little twist, they are homosexual. It didn't affect anything. Some people in real life think that homosexuals are sexual predators ready to get it goin' with any male in range but in game they were just like other people.

Basic Need Of Love

Like normal people roleplaying characters usually have basic need for love. Some characters have relationships and some players tell that when spending their hard earned gold in a tavern they toss few gold for a harlot and that's it. It's just a detail. I think many adventuring characters are a little afraid of engaging into a relationship because they aren't around that much.

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

In old superstitious fishing village there's an old woman who people claim to be a witch. She is told to be good at fortune telling. His method is to give 3 feet rope and ask his customer to tie knots. "One or more will do", she instructs and waits until the knots are tied. Then she reads the fortune from knots.

Ask player to describe you the knots. How many, are all the same or different kinds of and how tight the knots are. Those are the keys witch uses to see the future.

Number Of Knots
1 - Secure
2 to 3 - Insecure
4 or more - Surprising

Tightness Of The Knots
Most of them tight - Danger
Equally tight and loose - Unexpected
Most of them loose - Prosperity

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

In my gaming career my style of gaming and preferences of games have changed a lot. But also the groups have changed and today I don't have a group. One player. This is small history of my joining together to play.

Early Days Ages 11-15

This was simple time. All who I played with were my class-mates and friends I've known from first class. So it was easy to just play roleplaying games same way we played with toys, did sports, played video- and board games or were just hanging out together.
We spent time almost daily and weekends usually were rpgs.
It was simple. We just had to choose what we want to do today. Do something else or play roleplaying games. There were no schedules or anything. We played when we wanted to play.

Picture from Lamentations of the Flame Princess

Teenagers 16-18

Some of us went to schools in other towns. Also studying became more or less serious business so gaming wasn't as simple in weekdays as it was previously. But still most free-time, holidays and weekends we spent playing as much as we could. We rarely partied so gaming was good pass-time.
There was more working out with schedules but still gaming was easy.
At this point some of our regular players had stop gaming and we also wanted to spend time with them. They were same friends from elementary school after all.

Young Adults 19+

Now it got complicated. Schedules were harder. Some of us had a job, some still studied, some had girlfriends and new friends from other schools and work etc. And some of us wanted to party weekends in bars and nightclubs instead of gaming. That was lame.
Soon we had no regular gaming or gaming group anymore. People wanted to do other stuff.
Fortunately I had one good friend still interested in roleplaying games I played one-on-one games regularly as often as we could. Some times a friend or two joined us but mostly we played together.

Then I found more people who played roleplaying games. I played with them few times, but there were more problems with schedules. Different groups, totally different lives. But it was ok and I got to play with groups instead of one or two persons.

20+ Is Gaming Dying?

20+ gaming become more rare. Even with one player still regularly playing with me it was a event. All the schedules and being busy was not good at all. We played sometimes once or twice a week. Sometimes once a month. It was not good because I were used to play roleplaying games often and basically when I wanted to play.
So instead of playing I started sort of collecting roleplaying books and reading them and writing random material.

Serious Girflfriend

I was not searching but it happened. Soon after we moved together (still together after 10 years). I sometimes played with my friend still one-on-one and because I was (and am) a gamer I introduced roleplaying to my new-ish girlfriend I already lived with. She already liked computer games.
Our first session with my friend who still played with me and my girlfriend didn't go well. She wasn't that interested and got occupied in the beginning. We played Finnish gritty low fantasy rpg Praedor. Not that interesting to her.
Then later I introduced her to Vampire: the Masquerade and that hit the spot.

Today

No group. Where we moved some years ago (countryside) there are no players near. There are some in near towns but because of my busy life it's too hard to drive one hour or more to join a group. But fortunately me and my girlfriend still play together and she's also interested in trying and playing other games and not just Vampire. We have tried several games and still continue to testing other new games we or even I haven't played before.
Now we usually play twice a week and that's good.

For both competitors roll d20 + AB + Lance DMG (d6 if not included in weapon list). The winner of the round is one with higher result. If lance DMG die scores highest possible result roll again for cumulative effect. In addition this second DMG die roll inflicts HP damage. See the table below what happens for the loser:

Normally jousting with lances doesn't deal damage except if the opponent is knocked down from the horse. Roll d6 for HP damage.

***Broken Bone

If bone breaks during jousting the healing time is 2d4 + 9 weeks during what time 5 penalty is suffered to each roll what affects the injured body part. Randomly determine from a table below what bone is broken:

Broken back is very serious and needs 4d6 + 9 weeks of rest to heal and character is not able to walk or perform complicated physical actions involving full body. Every time character is moved uncautiously add 5% to final roll to determine if character is paralyzed for good.
After the healing period roll d% to see if injure is permanent. Start with 10% and add 5% for every time character was moved irresponsibly.
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These rules might seem to be a little complicated but I was just playing with some tables and wanted to create a small mini-game. You can easily strip these rules and just roll d20 + AB versus armor class for both of them and successful attack is a hit. If both hit it's a tie. You might also want to roll for damage but it's up to your decision does damage affect HP directly or does the damage have some other effects.
For example if damage die used is d6 results 1-4 don't deal actual damage but 5-6 might deal or possibly drop the opponent.

Welcome!

Welcome to Cradle of Rabies, blog about pen & paper roleplaying games. Here I talk about roleplaying and roleplaying games from my point of view in different topics. This blog is not focused in any particular game and posts are about things what I am interested in currently.

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